kyuukaru

I had a vintage Fortuna s50v that was set up in a particular way: when the ON switch was turned on, the bell knife rotated at constant high speed. The feed roller variable speed was controlled with the foot pedal (a light press on the foot pedal would ensure a slow feed; flooring the foot pedal made the feed roller rotate at top speed). This setup was perfect for the types of leathers I skive. When moved abroad I sold the Fortuna, and am now looking at a Japan-made Nippy NP-202 or NP-2 or skiver (essentially same-same parts as that old Fortuna). Local skiver vendors say to set a skiver up that way two motors are needed. One underneath and an additional motor mounted to the table behind the skiver (back right). I am not very mechanical, but not inclined to want to mount a motor on the table behind the skiver. The Fortuna v50s seemed to have only one motor. Enclosing photo and have many more photos of the guts & back of the skiver if helpful. Question: In order to run bell knife at constant speed and control feed roller at variable speed, are two motors necessary? What is the best optimized way to set up the skiver? Specific suggestions would be appreciated.

Yes, I made a checklist of your tips and checked it off as the tech did it! The table will still need replacing as the MDF is literally crumbling away but it's stable enough for now.

It's now up & running smoothly! Cut shims from thick belting leather, the tech put in smaller pulley, moved pittman rod to end of lever, oiled & cleaned. A teflon foot was hidden in the drawer. Just as you guys said the Singer 191 D300A can't handle 2 layers of leather. Currently trying to figure out the needle system: the manual says DBx1 / 16x257 system, but the tech put in a DP x 8, both seem to work even tho they have slightly different shank sizes. Hoping to find a LR type needle with a 45 degree twist that works on the machine. Thanks again for the helpful info!

Wow, thank you very much for the specific suggestions, extremely helpful. Will do the fixes you suggest and start sewing . . . it would be great if it can handle medium-weight nubuck.

Does a chart exist showing the equivalencies of cotton shoemaker's thread (e.g. sizes 20, 16, 12) to tkt or tex sizes?

The machine needs tuning but produces a fairly good stitch. The question is whether to invest $500 or more on this particular machine -- repair / replace the table, rusted bobbin case, foot, and other damaged areas and a roller foot or walking foot -- vs. investing that money in a different machine entirely given limited funds! Leatherworking colleagues recommend a double or triple feed machine, and this is not a walking foot machine. That said, perhaps someone has experience with maximizing this type of machine to sew leather.

Hello, I'm new to Leatherworker.net and impressed with the wealth of technical knowledge on sewing machines. I was just given a Singer 191 D300A, made in Japan. The person giving it to me said it was in good working order but it has been sitting unused for several years. I sew handbags, chrome-tanned leather, some nubuck, some suede, the occasional veg-tan, nothing extra thick. Is it worth investing in this machine? The body of the machine itself seems in good nick but there are several rusted accessories (e.g. thread tower) and the table is wavy. Reading through leatherworker forums wondering if it can (or should!) be optimized for sewing leather. Attaching photos, would appreciate advice --